John Rafferty
John Rafferty (Republican Party) was a member of the Pennsylvania State Senate, representing District 44. Rafferty assumed office in 2003. Rafferty left office on November 30, 2018.
Rafferty (Republican Party) ran for re-election to the Pennsylvania State Senate to represent District 44. Rafferty lost in the general election on November 6, 2018.
Rafferty ran for Pennsylvania attorney general in 2016 and defeated Joseph Peters in the April 26 primary. He was defeated in the November 8, 2016, general election.
Biography
Rafferty earned his B.A. in history from the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown in 1975, his M.A. from Beaver College in 1984, and his J.D. from Temple University School of Law in 1988.
Rafferty served on the Montgomery County Board of Assessment Appeals from 1996 to 2002 and served in the Pennsylvania attorney general's office as deputy attorney general from 1988 to 1991.
Committee assignments
2017 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:
| Pennsylvania committee assignments, 2017 |
|---|
| • Consumer Protection & Professional Licensure |
| • Intergovernmental Operations |
| • Judiciary, Vice chair |
| • Law & Justice |
| • Transportation, Chair |
2015 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Rafferty served on the following committees:
| Pennsylvania committee assignments, 2015 |
|---|
| • Transportation, Chair |
| • Judiciary, Vice-Chair |
| • Appropriations |
| • Consumer Protection & Professional Licensure |
| • Law & Justice |
| • Commission on Sentencing |
| • Joint State Government Commission, Vice-Chair |
2013-2014
In the 2013-2014 legislative session, Rafferty served on the following committees:
| Pennsylvania committee assignments, 2013 |
|---|
| • Transportation, Chair |
| • Judiciary, Vice Chair |
| • Appropriations |
| • Banking & Insurance |
| • Consumer Protection & Professional Licensure |
| • Law & Justice |
| • Commission on Sentencing |
| • Joint State Government Commission, Vice Chair |
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Rafferty served on these committees:
| Pennsylvania committee assignments, 2011 |
|---|
| • Joint State Government Commission |
| • Appropriations |
| • Banking & Insurance |
| • Consumer Protection & Professional Licensure |
| • Judiciary |
| • Law & Justice |
| • Transportation |
2009-2010
In the 2009-2010 legislative session, Rafferty served on these committees:
| Pennsylvania committee assignments, 2009 |
|---|
| • Appropriations |
| • Banking & Insurance |
| • Consumer Protection & Professional Licensure |
| • Judiciary |
| • Law & Justice, Chair |
| • Transportation |
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Elections
2018
General election
General election for Pennsylvania State Senate District 44
Katie Muth defeated incumbent John Rafferty in the general election for Pennsylvania State Senate District 44 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Katie Muth (D) | 52.0 | 62,692 |
 | John Rafferty (R) | 48.0 | 57,943 | |
| Total votes: 120,635 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Pennsylvania State Senate District 44
Katie Muth advanced from the Democratic primary for Pennsylvania State Senate District 44 on May 15, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Katie Muth | 100.0 | 13,974 |
| Total votes: 13,974 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for Pennsylvania State Senate District 44
Incumbent John Rafferty advanced from the Republican primary for Pennsylvania State Senate District 44 on May 15, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | John Rafferty | 100.0 | 14,094 |
| Total votes: 14,094 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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2016
Rafferty declared his candidacy for the Republican attorney general nomination in 2016 to challenge Attorney General Kathleen Kane (D), who later declined to run for re-election. He defeated Joseph Peters in the April 26 primary. He competed with Josh Shapiro (D) in the November 8 general election.
Josh Shapiro defeated John Rafferty in the Pennsylvania attorney general election.
| Pennsylvania Attorney General, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Josh Shapiro |
51.39% | 3,057,010 | |
| Republican | John Rafferty | 48.61% | 2,891,325 | |
| Total Votes | 5,948,335 | |||
| Source: Pennsylvania Department of State | ||||
John Rafferty defeated Joseph Peters in the Pennsylvania Attorney General Republican Primary.
| Pennsylvania Attorney General Republican Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | John Rafferty |
63.89% | 819,510 | |
| Republican | Joseph Peters | 36.11% | 464,491 | |
| Total Votes | 1,284,001 | |||
| Source: Pennsylvania Department of State | ||||
Primary race background
- Main article: Pennsylvania races we're watching, 2016
Going into the primary, John Rafferty had a significant lead over Joseph Peters, having earned the endorsement of the Republican Party of Pennsylvania. Rafferty had much more cash on hand than Peters as of March 7, 2016, when Rafferty reported $141,819 in cash on hand compared to $3,006 for Peters. Rafferty also earned several key endorsements; he was expected to win the primary by a comfortable margin.[1][2]
The candidates received the following key endorsements:
| Key endorsements, Republican primary candidates[3][4] | ||
|---|---|---|
| Joseph Peters | John Rafferty | |
| York County Commissioner Chris Reilly | Republican Party of Pennsylvania | |
| Mifflin County Commissioner Lisa Nancollas | Pennsylvania Pro Life Federation | |
| Bradford County Sheriff C.J. Walters | Pennsylvania Fraternal Order of Police | |
| Wayne County Sheriff Mark Steelman | Pennsylvania Professional Firefighters Association | |
2014
Elections for the Pennsylvania State Senate took place in 2014. A primary election took place on May 20, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in that election was March 11, 2014. Incumbent John Rafferty was unopposed in the Republican primary, while Kathleen Cozzone was unopposed in the Democratic primary. Rafferty defeated Cozzone in the general election.[5][6]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | John Rafferty Incumbent |
61.4% | 48,655 | |
| Democratic | Kathleen Cozzone | 38.6% | 30,597 | |
| Total Votes | 79,252 | |||
2010
Rafferty won re-election to District 44. He was unopposed in the May 18 Republican primary and defeated Democrat Matt Stehman in the November 2 general election.[7]
| Pennsylvania State Senate District 44 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
| John Rafferty (R)
|
56,388 | |||
| Matt Stehman (D) | 34,180 | |||
2006
On November 7, 2006, Rafferty was re-elected to District 44 of the Pennsylvania State Senate. Rafferty defeated Dan Weand (D) in the general election.[8]
Rafferty raised $381,996 for this campaign.[9]
| Pennsylvania State Senate District 44 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
| RAFFERTY, JOHN (R)
|
49,798 | |||
| WEAND, DAN (D) | 38,768 | |||
Campaign themes
2016
Rafferty's campaign website points to his diverse experience as an attorney and as a state senator, including legislation he has authored during his tenure and the numerous committees on which he has served.[10]
2014
Rafferty's campaign website highlighted the following issues:[11]
Reform
- Excerpt: "He wants to clean up the political process, reform the General Assembly and bring integrity to public service. He voted against the legislative, judicial and Governor's pay raises. He did not accept the pay raise and fought successfully for the repeal."
Safeguarding Our Children
- Excerpt: "He is the sponsor of Jessica's Law, which would impose a mandatory minimum of 25-years and up to 50 years imprisonment for a first-time offender convicted of rape or involuntary deviate sexual intercourse involving a child less than 13 years of age."
Property Tax Reform
- Excerpt: "John supports eliminating school property tax for homeowners. He believes that the burden of funding schools is becoming too great for homeowners and that it is time to replace the property tax with a more fair revenue source."
Spending and Taxes
- Excerpt: "John believes government should function within its means and on a tight budget, just like individuals and families do everyday. That is why he voted against the increase in state income tax; voted against the nursing home bed tax; voted to remove the ‘double' cell phone tax; and voted for income tax credits for health savings accounts and tuition account programs."
Gaming
- Excerpt: "He is taking a lead in the effort to reform the Gaming Board, close the loop holes for corruption and make sure the Pennsylvania State Police and Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office have proper oversight."
Protecting Our Environment
- Excerpt: "John has worked with local and state environmental organizations, local and state government officials and businesses to fight the deadly pollutants contaminating our wells, streams and backyards. He pushed for the closure of the Pottstown Landfill and sponsored legislation to crack down on bad landfill operators."
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Pennsylvania scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
2018
In 2018, the Pennsylvania General Assembly was in session from January 2 through November 30.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to economic issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to animals.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to small business issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
2017
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2017, click [show]. |
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In 2017, the Pennsylvania General Assembly was in session from January 3 through December 31.
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2016
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2016, click [show]. |
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In 2016, the Pennsylvania General Assembly was in session from January 5 through November 30.
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2015
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2015, click [show]. |
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In 2015, the Pennsylvania General Assembly was in session from January 6 through December 31.
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2014
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2014, click [show]. |
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In 2014, the Pennsylvania General Assembly was in session from January 7 through November 12.
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2013
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2013, click [show]. |
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In 2013, the Pennsylvania General Assembly was in session from January 2 to December 31.
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2012
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2012, click [show]. |
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In 2012, the Pennsylvania General Assembly was in session from January 3 to November 30.
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2011
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2011, click [show]. |
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In 2011, the Pennsylvania General Assembly was in session from January 4 through November 30.
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Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
When he served in the state Senate, Rafferty resided in Collegetown, Pennsylvania.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for "John + Rafferty + Pennsylvania + Senate'"
- All stories may not be relevant to this legislator due to the nature of the search engine.
See also
- Pennsylvania State Senate
- Senate Committees
- Pennsylvania General Assembly
- Joint Committees
- Pennsylvania state legislative districts
External links
- Official campaign website
- Profile from Open States
- John Rafferty on Facebook
- John Rafferty on Twitter
- Biography from Project Vote Smart
- Campaign Contributions: 2012, 2010, 2008, 2006, 2004, 2002
Footnotes
- ↑ Campaign Finance Online - Pennsylvania, "Campaign Finance Report for John Rafferty," accessed March 30, 2016
- ↑ Campaign Finance Online - Pennsylvania, "Campaign Finance Report for Joseph Peters," accessed March 30, 2016
- ↑ Joe Peters, "Endorsements," accessed March 25, 2016
- ↑ John Rafferty, "Endorsements," accessed March 25, 2016
- ↑ Pennsylvania Department of State, "Official primary results for May 20, 2014," accessed July 9, 2014
- ↑ Pennsylvania Department of State, "2014 Official Candidate Listing," accessed March 19, 2014
- ↑ Pennsylvania Department of State, "2010 General Election Results," accessed May 2, 2014
- ↑ Pennsylvania Department of State, "2006 General Election," accessed March 11, 2014
- ↑ Follow the Money, "Report on 2006 campaign contributions," accessed May 2, 2014
- ↑ Rafferty for AG, "Meet John," accessed March 28, 2016
- ↑ Rafferty for Senate, "John on the Issues," accessed August 20, 2013
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by ' |
Pennsylvania State Senate District 44 2003–2018 |
Succeeded by Katie Muth (D) |
